Vodafone Windows Phone 8 launch detailed with pricing

It was only yesterday when we covered Vodafone's plans to launch a number of Windows Phone devices, and today the UK mobile operator has revealed just how much each handset will set the customer back. The move is a strong push for the platform, with majority of mobile operators in the country now sporting one or more Windows Phones.

So, pricing. Vodafone has announced the following as the pricing structure for each Windows Phone:

Lumia 920 - Nokia's flagship Windows Phone available with no upfront fee on a 24-month contract. The Vodafone Red Data plan is utilised for £42 a month, and includes unlimited calls, SMS and comes with 2GB of data (black and yellow).

Lumia 820 - available on the Vodafone Red plan (similar to the Lumia 920), but comes with unlimited calls, SMS and 1GB data for £33 a month (black or red).

Lumia 620 - the low-end Windows Phone 8 device is available on a 24-month contract for just £21 a month. This includes 300 minutes, unlimited SMS and 250MB of data (blue or white).

8S - available on a 24-month contract for £21 a month, and just like the 8X 300 minutes, unlimited SMS and 250MB of data is included (Atlantic Blue).

Interesting pricing indeed. 1GB is generally enough for the average consumer who still chooses to use the smartphone regularly as a mobile device. There's plenty of call time and room to send thousands of messages to friends and family. As well as the hardware being available on the online store, Vodafone also lists the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 ready for its future 4G LTE upgrade.

Reader comments

Vodafone Windows Phone 8 launch detailed with pricing

Finally!! I'm on Vodafone but even these prices aren't that great. Jumping to Three before the start rolling out 4G with no price increase on tariffs along with unlimited data. Something Vodafone don't offer.

These prices are amazing! If only we were so lucky in Switzerland. I paid my Lumia 920 289 CHF (202 GBP) on a 2-year contract at 69 CHF/month (48 GBP). And the wireless charger is an additional 89 CHF (62 GBP). Astonishingly enough /s, I haven't seen a single Lumia 920 in the wild yet, 800 and 900 yes, but no 920. When I went in to get mine, I saw someone ask for the Lumia 920, the salesman went to get it, and once he told them the price, they "settled" for an iPhone.

Yep! Compared to Australia the £21 & £33 contracts are absolute bargains! The HD7 was minimum £52 (contract + MRO) per month almost 2 years ago. So saying that, I only pay £13/month on pre-paid... Cos contracts are for chumps! :P

In Spain the 920 is at 51€/mo with the Red plan, but we get 1.5GB of data instead of 2. I'm actually surprised at how similarly priced it is with the UK, a far more competitive market. Black and white (my white should be arriving soon!)

Its been available for a while now, this is just Vodafone selling it directly. I have a red Lumia 920 on Vodafone which I got for free on a £37/m contract (unlimited calls and texts with 1gb of dat). I'm not sure why people pay the inflated prices to get the phone direct from the operator's stores when there are far cheaper options around (as well as getting the phone a month earlier and in colours unavailable elsewhere).

Because if I buy it from the operator, there's only one person to chase if anything goes wrong. Buy from an independent and if anything goes wrong you're screwed because theyll just blame the network and vice versa.

Oh well.. Maybe I should move to the UK.. Here in Portugal Vodafone is offering 2 year plans with big upfronts (RRP 599€) for the L920: 569€+16€/mo ; 539€+32€/mo; they were also offering 199€+107€/mo with unlimited everything, but it disappeared from the site..
I sincerely can't understand their business plan (if any..) cause no1 will go for this, specially in the middle of a financial crisis >.>

As usual Three undercuts every network with their amazing deals! £36 per month on Three on The One Plan (which comes with unlimited tethering, unlimited data, 2,000 minutes, 5,000 3-2-3 minutes, and 5,000 texts) on top of all that Three have 60% of the UK covered for DC-HSDPA speeds... why anyone would go for this crap deal.
As for the 620, for just £2 extra per month you get all-you-can-eat data on Three which is highly worth it.

4G is cheaper for networks to run then 3G. 1GB of internet for £36 per month is not a good deal at all.
Once Three launch their 4G network you'll be getting unlimited all-you-can-eat data for as low as £12.90 per month.

I understand that, i really do, but being an early adopter, i have to, i ran that risk , but still it better than what the deals were, when we first announced the tariffs, saying that, how much data will one realistically use... Free wifi everywhere, and even if its not free, you get free bt wifi jus for having the bundle.

These contracts sound pretty overpriced to me. You can get the 920 for free with 750MB data on a 26 GBP/month contract from Orange, which arguably has better 3G coverage too. 820 is free for around 20 GBP/month, 620 free for around 15.

I left Orange after 9 years because of their appauling 3G coverage. Having lived in central Manchester they siphoned off 3G capacity for the 4G launch and around 18-24 months ago coverage took a nosedive. They keep crediting my account for lack of service but theres only so long you can last without receiving calls and texs before a free contract is pointless. Also back and forth to Northern Ireland a lot and I discovered when merging with T-Mo they shut down the T-Mo masts and also cut the Orange mast in the town I'm from. A search on EE's coverage checker suggests nil 3G coverage for Northern Ireland, it is very limited though.
On Vodafone, I've found exceptional coverage in Manchester, London, Bristol, Northern Ireland and Exeter. I have a SureSignal for home as its a metal frame house but SureSignal isn't really needed.
I've had harsh words with Vodafone a couple of times regarding billing and roaming (loss of Data Traveller in Greece and not billed for Euro Traveller in France), and I usually rib them for their lack of bountiful internet with plans. Their argument is that they realise people want lots of internet and that to had it out for free/cheap would degrade the otherwise grand performance of the network. I have to admit I agree that I definitely prefer being able to browse at speed and with reliability than have it truly unlimited and have no speed at all. Swings and roundabouts people. For me my phone is all about coverage and this is where Vodafone excel.

I've also lost out in the fact I got my Lumia 820 from Carphone Warehouse when it launched. My handset has done nothing but reset - its been replaced by CPW and returned to Nokia for the Portico update, now its back at Nokia and a replacemen is on its way to me now. As mentioned in a post above, by not buying from the network I'm stuck in the middle of CPW saying they cant take the handset back as it would mean me getting a new contract and cancelling the existing one at my own expense, Vodafone won't cancel it FOC as its not really their issue as they didn't supply the handset.

I went ahead and ordered the 920 in yellow first thing this morning. :) 12 months/unlimited min/unlimited text/1gb data + 1gb Vodafone Wifi. £99 upfront and £47 per month. This sounds incredibly sad, but one of the biggest factors in going with Vodafone was that they offer yellow. P4U offer yellow, but they no longer deal with Three.

Something worth mentioning is that Vodafone's website mentioned: "Buy a 4G-ready phone today – and get ready for the fastest mobile internet you've ever had from us" ... maybe it's wishful thinking, but I'm guessing they'll also be offering no additional charge for 4g (like Three).